Opening: Future Future – Between Necessity and Contradiction

An exhibition featuring master’s students and graduates of the Kassel Art Academy.

Young artistic practice rarely emerges in a vacuum. It develops at the intersection of the desire for artistic self-determination and a reality in which time, space, and visibility are scarce resources. Various forms of support promise to bridge this gap: they provide studios, award grants, and open exhibition spaces. Yet every form of support also carries with it a certain conception of what art is and how it should appear.

This exhibition addresses precisely this issue. It does not question whether funding is necessary—because it is. This is especially true for artists at the beginning of their careers, who would otherwise be worn down by part-time jobs, job applications, and precarious living conditions. The real question is: Which artistic practices become visible when funding is tied to specific locations, formats, and expectations? And which remain invisible because they cannot be translated into marketable objects, institutional exhibitions, or established forms of presentation?

Art that emerges in public spaces, grows within communities, operates as a process, or utilizes digital and collective structures often struggles to find its place within the existing funding system. Not because it is less relevant, but because many funding logics are geared toward a specific conception of artistic production. Those seeking support learn early on to navigate within this framework. This is not a matter of individual failure, but rather a structural condition under which artistic development takes place today.

Funding institutions and the art market, too, do not operate in a vacuum. They operate within political, economic, and social contexts. Through their choice of venues, partners, and forms of presentation, they make decisions that convey certain attitudes—even when these remain unspoken. Responsibility therefore lies not solely with art, but equally with the structures that enable it, support it, and make it visible to the public.

This exhibition is intended as an invitation to reveal these interconnections: the dependence on recognition, the often unnoticed adaptation to existing expectations, but also the indispensable role that support can play in artistic development. The works on display navigate these perspectives. They serve as spaces of encounter where contradiction is made productive and the future can only emerge through negotiation.

Ultimately, the exhibition addresses its audience: Which art is made visible, and which is not? Who decides this? And who bears the responsibility if something is to change?

Curator: Jero van Nieuwkoop

Dates & Hours:
September 8–23, 2026
Daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.